Broken Ties
by FireWater0712
Summary: The anticipated family reunion unexpectedly ended in tragedy. How are they going to pick up the pieces afterward? On what lengths Sasuke would go in order to bring Sakura back? Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit of a spoiler on _Naruto Gaiden:_ _The Seventh Hokage and Scarlet Spring_. However, I made some changes in order to fit my story.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

The throbbing on her head persisted but it was bearable. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself in a small white room and smelled the unmistakable scent of disinfectants.

She's on the hospital, no doubt about it.

Working on it most of her time when not on shinobi duty, Sakura could have sworn that she had already memorized each room from the operating room down to the morgue. One could say that the hospital had been her second home since she started as a medical ninja.

"Sakura-san!" A dark-haired woman appeared before her holding a piglet.

"Ah, Shizune-san." Sakura pushed herself up from the bed and drank the glass of water prepared on the bedside table. "Thank you for looking after me."

"Ah, our house!" She suddenly remembered their house which was now in ruins thanks to her brute force and short temper. Now she felt like she's going to have a headache again. _Damn, she's not yet done with paying the house loan!_

"Sakura-chan," Shizune interrupted her musings. "About Sarada…"

Subsequently, she started relating to Sakura what happened.

"WHAT?!" Sakura exclaimed after hearing from Shizune what Sarada just did. Then, she remembered the vague questions Sarada kept peppering her about her father. Her vague answers didn't help either. No doubt the kid got suspicious.

"Sarada took that old picture of Taka. I guess she thinks there are questions only her father can answer." Shizune shrugged.

"Geez, that kid." Sakura rubbed her temples. "Thank you, Shizune-san."

 _What a curious and stubborn child_ , Sakura thought wearily. Not that she could blame her daughter, after all. Sarada has not met her father once and all she had were old pictures of him.

"Sarada asked me details about her birth records in Konoha to which I can't answer. I think she's curious about Karin."

Groaning inwardly, Sakura can't help but get more worried for Sarada. Of course, Sarada had discovered the picture and made a connection because of their glasses. She should have explained their situation sooner. A curious child like her with no experience of the real shinobi world is vulnerable especially outside the protected walls of Konoha. She even dragged Chouchou with her.

"So I just need to head towards the Mountain Pass Tower then, right?"

Shizune nodded. "According to Shikamaru, that's what it sounds like."

"I need to go now," Sakura went hastily for the door. "And knock some sense into that girl."

oOo

* * *

A resounding punch landed squarely on the man with Sharingan eyes embedded all over his head and arms. The force sent the enemy flying across the trees.

"Who the hell are these guys?!" Sakura asked upon her arrival. The guy reminded her of Danzo but this guy was worse. All she saw that the man was attacking Sasuke, Sarada and Naruto and in a snap, her anger flared up. She was just glad that all of them were safe especially her Sarada.

"We were in the middle of figuring that out," answered Sasuke. "Why are you here?"

Sakura was about to answer him when she noticed the sword impaling Naruto. "Naruto!"

Grinning, Naruto just waved off her concern. "I'm fine by the way except for the sword impaling me." Gritting his teeth in pain, he removed the sword and tossed it on the ground.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Sakura hurriedly went to him.

"Yeah…I'll be good as new in a bit." Naruto gave her a thumbs-up sign. Slowly, the wound began to heal. "I have the same lives as Kurama's tails, remember?"

Sakura chuckled and turned to Sarada with a sad and worried expression. "I'm sorry... I meant to sit you down and have an earnest heart to heart with you, Sarada."

Sarada just looked down on her feet with a myriad of emotions playing on her face: sadness, confusion and betrayal.

"No," interjected Sasuke as he removed the tags Uchiha Shin threw at him a while ago which restricted his movements. "No matter how you try to spin it… I'm the one who has to own up to it. You're not the one who should be apologizing."

He seemed having difficulty of finding the right words to say. "But, I just…"

All of a sudden, Uchiha Shin burst out. "I'll be taking these!"

A spiraling void appeared and started sucking Uchiha Shin and Sakura.

"Mom!" Sarada cried out as she saw her mother being sucked into a void and ran after her.

"A space-time dimension?! Sarada, NO!" Stunned momentarily, Sasuke tried to go after them but they were gone in an instant.

"What the hell!" Naruto gritted his teeth. The last person they have seen that was capable of space-time manipulation was Uchiha Obito. And the guy was dead, they were witnesses to it. Just who the hell was this Uchiha Shin?

oOo

* * *

"Where are we?" Sarada asked in bewilderment, taking in her surroundings. It seemed to her that they were inside a large cave that was transformed into a laboratory.

"This is the enemy's hide-out," replied Sakura. Scanning her eyes around the area, she sensed lots of same chakra signatures.

 _Clones but definitely stronger with more defined chakra form,_ she thought.

Just then, six kids with white brushed-up hair looking all exactly alike appeared before them and poised a large, three-pronged kunai at them. Each and every one of the clones has Sharingan eyes.

"These are my clones but stronger." Uchiha Shin said. He struck one of the clones causing it to slump down, much to Sakura and Sarada's surprise. He laid it on the table and subsequently opened its abdomen as if gutting down a pig. "I want you to perform a transplant on me."

"What?!" Sakura asked aghast. "You want me to perform a transplant? If I remove this organ, this child would die!"

"I see…" Uchiha Shin trailed off. "You were a medical ninja too, weren't you?"

"However, you only have yourself to blame for this mess," he further added with a smirk.

"Said the guy that tried to kill my husband and child! And not to mention what you did to my good friend." How the hell was she to blame for this mess?Sakura clenched her knuckles in anger.

"If you really feel that way, then why concern yourself with my kid?" Uchiha Shin looked over at the dead clone with a deadpan expression.

"Did you…really just say that with a straight face?" Sakura can't help but wonder how could this man talk about killing his own child with such detachment? He talked as if the child was merely a farm animal for taking.

Sarada just stared in morbid fascination at the bloody organs heaped on the metal tray and at the opened body cavity of the younger Shin Uchiha clone.

"Do it or else," trailed Uchiha Shin in which the clones automatically moved closer to Sakura and Sarada.

"Sarada, you stay right behind me," whispered Sakura. They would surely aim for Sarada. She needed to buy some time to plan her attack and discover his real motives.

"You!" Sakura glared at Uchiha Shin. "You would do that on your own clones? It's awful! This is like something Orochimaru would do!"

"Ah, that's right. He was my master." Uchiha Shin closed his eye for a brief moment as if remembering a particularly good memory. "Rather, to be precise, I was one of Orochimaru's test subjects in order to create his cloning technique. These clones were all cultivated from my teeth and nerves."

"There is no need to grieve." He said as he took notice of Sakura's flicker of sadness on the corpse of his clone. "As long as you understand that living beings essentially never 'die'."

"What are you rambling on about?" Sakura asked angrily.

"Genes, specifically reproductive cells, you know right as a medical ninja. These are no different than children. A system used for perpetuating surviving and living into the future eternally." He gestured his hand to the clones. "On the other hand, you have the rest of the somatic cells which die off in fixed intervals. Simply put, in order for the genes of humans to increase and multiply without dying out. They need to cannibalize other cells in order to survive."

"Then, what is this thing we called exactly as 'death'?" He continued. "It is nothing more than the act of us, a used up vessel of flesh being devoured."

"Even if everything you said is true," Sakura countered. "These are not the genes of a species we are talking about."

"Neither thoughts, emotions or free will dwell within the flesh. This is not just about the transmission of genes between a parent and a child. The act we know of as creating a child is taking two halves of each of the parents' genes and blending them together. Nothing more than an instinctual act to strengthen the species. "

"Then we have war and strife which handpicks the superior genes to be selected and survive. This cycle is the essence of life."

"You are a psycho," said Sakura. He's hopeless.

"That is the evolution of humanity," Uchiha Shin continued as if he did not hear what she just said. "And that method of evolution has been gradually becoming more efficient. This cloning technique is merely the pinnacle of that. That's exactly how the shinobi were, weren't they?"

"In order for humans to evolve, war has to exist. That is the reason Akatsuki exists." He finally said.

Human life is precious and not something one could experiment on. "Then, you're an even bigger dumbass than Orochimaru! You have no idea at all! What it means to become a parent or what humans hold dear!"

"Well, let's see who the bigger dumbass is." Uchiha Shin got up and from his right arm, numerous blades started to form.

oOo

* * *

"Sarada, go!"

"No, I won't leave you!"

"What part of my instruction you didn't understand?" Sakura shouted at her as she tried to tackled Uchiha Shin and the younger clones. All of which have Sharingan abilities. She needed to get Sarada away from here as soon as possible. It's her that Uchiha Shin wanted in order to do the transplantation. She would never allow him to lay a finger on her daughter.

"Ah, the little Uchiha girl..." Uchiha Shin exclaimed as if seeing the girl for the first time. "I wonder if your Sharingan is already activated?"

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her, you psychopath!" If he got hold of Sarada, there's a high possibility that he would want to take her eyes.

 _No, that would never happen._ Sakura vowed to herself.

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Sakura turned to Sarada. "No wonder you are really my child."

Sarada looked at her with wide eyes. "Mom… I'm sorry for doubting you."

"It's not just the physical connection that we have. It's something deeper," Sakura said softly.

"Sarada..." Sakura pleaded to her maintaining her focus on the enemies. Twenty clones dead and still more to defeat. "Just for now, please listen to me as your mother."

"Okay," answered Sarada in a broken voice.

"Find your father or Naruto. I'm sure they're coming to save us," said Sakura. She dodged another series of blades and punched another clone.

"How about you?"

"Don't worry about me." Sakura smiled at her.

Nodding, Sarada took the moment to escape when Sakura attacked. She ran amidst the dark, twisted cave. Even though it was pitch-dark, her eyes began to see clearly. It's as if she didn't need the glasses anymore.

oOo

* * *

"I need to find a way out here," Sarada muttered to herself as she entered the maze-like tunnels. To an outsider, all the tunnels would look like the same but to a keen observer, changes on the ground and walls were signs that they were frequently used. These were one the things taught to them in the ninja academy. With her enhanced vision, she could see every detail and imprint it on her mind.

The wall to her right suddenly exploded with such force that if it were not for her vision and reflexes, she would have been blown away or smashed by the chunks of rocks.

"Sarada!" Chouchou waved at her happily, clearly relieved to see her friend unharmed.

It was then that Sarada noticed the massive humanoid-like creature in front of her. It was purplish-blue with a sharp beak and large wings. Furthermore, it emanated a menacing aura. Atop of it were ChouChou, the Hokage and her father.

Her father and the Hokage jumped down.

"What's that thing?" Sarada can't help but feel awed at the monstrous thing in front of her.

Seeing that the girl was transfixed at the creature behind them, Naruto explained. "Ah, that's your father's Susanoo. It's like a big ass fighting machine. Pretty cool, right?"

For a moment, Sarada saw her father's eyes soften as he looked at her. It's as if he wanted to say something to her when Chouchou shouted.

"I wanted to go down there too!"

"No need, we're going up there again," said Naruto. "Come on, let's find Sakura-chain."

Sarada took Naruto's outstretched hand as they jumped over atop the Susanoo. "How did you find this place?"

"We went and asked Orochimaru," answered Naruto.

"Who is Orochimaru?" Sarada asked.

"Well, he used to be your dad's… _sensei_." Naruto considered how best to explain briefly to Sarada about the Snake sannin. "Your dad left Konoha when he was – "

"Naruto," Sasuke stopped Naruto from continuing with a warning look.

"Alright," Naruto rolled his eyes at Uchiha Sasuke. "You better explain to her sometime."

"That one really freaked me out," said Chouchou with a shudder. "I'm not sure what that one's gender is and the way he looked at me… it's scary."

Naruto was about to comment when both he and Sasuke stiffen momentarily for a second. Both of them looked alarmed.

"What's wrong?" Sarada asked.

"Nothing," answered Sasuke but his eyes betrayed his words. There was something clearly bothering him.

oOo

* * *

"What the fuck!" Naruto exclaimed in anger as they came upon the enemy's hide-out. He and Sasuke immediately rushed down and began searching.

The area was almost unrecognizable. All the machines and metal tables Sarada have seen hours ago were broken. Chunks of rocks littered the area along with countless corpses of Shin Uchiha's clones.

She saw Uchiha Shin's corpse lying a few feet away from them, his upper body cavity replaced with a gaping hole.

Where's her mother then? What she saw then made her blood ran cold.

Sakura was lying unconscious in a pool of blood, her green eyes open.

"MOM!" Sarada ran towards them.

Sarada saw her father picked and held Sakura's unconscious and bloodied body as the Hokage placed a hand on her chest. It began to glow and it seemed to transfer on Sakura's body.

"Damn it, Sakura!" Naruto cursed loudly and gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's grip on her body tightened and he shook her hard.

"Save my mother, Hokage!" Sarada pleaded as tears started to flow from her eyes. She heard that the Hokage was the hero of the last Fourth Shinobi World War more than a decade ago. She heard that he has amazing skills and powers and that he had saved lots of lives before.

Surely, the Hokage could save her mother, right?

oOo

* * *

"You don't know when to give up, huh?"

"Bullshit, Kurama!" Naruto cried out in anger. "Even if I have to drain myself of chakra just for her to open her eyes, I will!"

"You're really a stubborn one," said the Nine-tailed beast. He could see the frustration and panic on the jinchuuriki's blue eyes. "Humans… I don't really understand them at all."

"She saved me when I almost died when you were extracted from me by Madara. She never gave up on reviving me… She exhausted her chakra when my mine was drained by Toneri Otsutsuki in the Moon."

Naruto looked at the fox with grim determination. "She is my friend."

The fox remembered the time when the blonde kept pumping chakra to a bushy-browed shinobi named Gai who nearly died after opening all the Eight Gates on fighting Uchiha Madara. The guy was barely clinging to life but Naruto was able to save him.

Can Naruto perform such "miracle" too on this friend of his?

 _But there is a difference_ , thought the nine-tailed beast. Between someone who's on the verge of death to one who's no longer alive.

oOo

* * *

"She's gone," a weak voice said gasped out. It was one of those Shin clones. He tried to stand in wobbly legs but due to his bruises and cuts but he failed.

Then, in a flash, he was pinned to the wall by Uchiha Sasuke. The kid tried to pry the vice-like grip on his neck but to no avail. The boy felt his airway being crushed by the pressure.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as the boy started to turn blue. "Stop it! He's just a kid who followed orders!"

"Just a kid following orders?" Sasuke looked at Naruto as if he had gone insane then turned back a venomous glare at the kid. "I would fucking kill you.""

Naruto pried Sasuke's hand away from the kid. The remaining Uchiha Shin clone slumped to the ground gasping for air.

"Don't you dare stop me, Naruto," Sasuke said in a cold, murderous tone.

"He should not be our focus right now," Naruto replied looking at the Uchiha eye to eye.

After sputtering some blood, Uchiha Shin spoke in a hoarse voice. "She was exhausted after she finally defeated my father and all the other clones when this tall man suddenly appeared and started asking her about you and Konoha."

The clone looked at Naruto questioningly.

"What? Me?" Naruto asked in surprise, his hand still continuing to transfer chakra to Sakura. "Who is this man you're talking about?"

"No idea but he's pale and he has horns and eyes on his palms like his," he pointed to Sasuke.

"The Sharingan?"

"No... the other one." The clone answered. "The kunoichi refused to answer and they fought. That was the last that I can remember."

Once again, the Shin Uchiha clone looked at the woman lying on Naruto's arms and with an expressionless face he stated to Naruto. "She's already gone. You knew it."

* * *

"He's joking, right?" Sarada broken voice interrupted their conversation as she touched Sakura's cheek. "Tell me, Hokage-sama that it's not true… that mom's gone? I know you can save her. You are the Hokage!"

Naruto clenched his fist and repeatedly punched the ground in anger and frustration. His blue eyes became ice-cold in fury. He could not even answer the kid. The fucking Uchiha Shin clone was right ever since they arrived. Sakura's chakra and life force were non-existent already. But he didn't believe it although his senses confirmed it.

No, it was because he refused to believe it.

"Dad?" Sarada turned to her father.

A myriad of emotions flashed across Sasuke's face before he turned away from her. Sorrow, anger, regret and something else she could not pinpoint.

She received nothing but silence from the two.

How ironic it was that when Sarada finally found her father, she would lose her mother.

oOo

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I can feel the violent reactions right now. I don't know but I had this in mind since I finished The Pride of Uchiha. It was just that I was unsure during that time whether Sasuke and Sakura would end up together and after the conclusion of Naruto Gaiden, I felt confident to write about them again. And I was pretty busy because I moved to another country to work.

Anyways, this story is going to have few chapters only. Forgive the grammatical errors, if you know a beta-reader, please tell me!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** This chapter is more like of other characters' point of view and observation on Sasuke. It's kinda difficult to write in Sasuke's POV with him being emotionally constipated and all...

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

She was buried in the Uchiha cemetery as befitting her name. More than half of the Hidden Village of Leaf's population and even some from neighboring villages paid their condolences to the family of the bereaved. After all, she was a famous _kunoichi_ and she had helped saved lots of lives in the last Fourth Shinobi World War.

When the last respects were given, the only ones remained were the immediate family and the previous and present Hokages.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Kizashi Haruno spoke to his daughter's husband in a rather stiff formal manner with a slight bit of hesitation. "About Sarada..."

"She is an Uchiha," Sasuke said simply without looking at him.

"I know," Kizashi nodded. He opened his mouth as if to say something again then changed his mind. "Very well, take care of her."

And together, Kizashi left the cemetery with his distraught wife, Mebuki.

They wanted to take their grandchild away, thought Kakashi in alarm. The Harunos were still not on good terms with Sasuke. Apparently, they never liked Sasuke for their daughter seeing all the heartbreak he gave to their daughter in the past. Well, he can't really blame them.

If anything, Sakura can be stubborn to a fault. She simply loved the Uchiha and gods be damned for her willfulness, her parents could do nothing but wish for her happiness.

Even after the Sasuke and Sakura got married and started a family, they have never taken a fondness to the Uchiha. In addition to the fact that Sasuke was away for so many years without any communication whatsoever merely added to their distaste on the Uchiha.

But Sarada is an Uchiha and by the laws of Konoha, it's Sasuke's right as a parent unless it would be proven that he is incapable as father.

Kakashi could still remember the first time Sakura was introduced in his team. She looked very innocent and young. It's no wonder they placed girls on genin teams. They were like a breath of fresh air from the boy's aggressiveness.

Remembering his former teammate Rin, he could not help but see the similarities between the two. Both were sweet, friendly and possessed a strong will. Maybe if Rin had lived up until today, she would also be a great medical ninja. But he knew in his heart that somewhere up there, Obito and Rin were happy.

Somehow, he regretted that he was not able to focus on Sakura's training as he was focused on Sasuke and Naruto. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because she got to train under one of the Legendary Sannins, Tsunade. She used what she learned to help others and became a vital asset during the Fourth Shinobi War. If not for her and the Godaime, hundreds of shinobis could have died after Madara's attack.

Reverting his gaze on Uchiha Sasuke, Kakashi can't help but notice the cold anger behind those dark eyes.

 _Life is just so unfair_ , Kakashi thought bitterly.

He had witnessed the subtle changes on Sasuke since the Uchiha's final fight with Naruto, his journey of redemption and finally, when he started to have his own family.

Friendship, loyalty and family definitely changed the former Uchiha avenger for the better. But just when Sasuke was starting to pick up the pieces and build his life again, it would only be shattered once more.

Not far from them, Sarada was seated under a tree absentmindedly playing with the grass. Beside her was Boruto, who looked as if he wanted to say something to his friend but don't know what and how to, so he just kept his mouth shut and provided her with companionship.

 _Just like his father_ , he contemplated with a sad smile underneath his mask as he looked at his successor. Quietly, Naruto stood beside Sasuke, sorrow clearly written all over the blonde's features all the while trying to maintain a comforting presence to his friend.

Words often fail people at times like this but sometimes, the mere presence of a friend is enough and there is nothing more special in this world than true friendship.

oOo

* * *

Moving to a new house usually meant new life. Something to create memories for the future and look back once in a while but for Sarada, there's nothing to create anymore.

It's a pretty, small house just enough for the two of them with a small garden at the back. Yet, it felt like a hundred times bigger with the deafening silence between father and daughter.

Dinner was served and the two ate in silence. Yes, they share the same blood and one look between the two and there was no doubt that they were related. But with the way things were going on at that moment, it seemed like two virtual strangers were shoved and forced to have a conversation together in which nobody wanted to initiate one.

Sasuke was never known to be talkative. Not in the past and not even now either so Sarada felt that she should be the one to initiate one. Small talks during dinner like how was work, school etc were usually the ones she and Sakura chatted about in the past but now, she has another thing on her mind.

"Have you ever thought about us during those long years of your journey?" Sarada suddenly asked, picking up the fish and shoving it inside her mouth.

Sasuke looked at his daughter, curious why she suddenly asked this peculiar question.

"Or have you forgotten about us that much that you didn't even recognize your own daughter's face?" She looked at him now.

Sasuke paused eating and stared at his daughter. "What makes you bring this up now?"

"Mom kept saying good things about you but to say I was disappointed would be an understatement." She was shaking now. "I don't even think you ever plan of returning back using that sorry excuse of a mission to leave us."

"I have far more important things to do that don't concern you," said Sasuke coolly. "You don't have any idea."

"You're the one who has no idea!" Sarada replied spitefully. "You were never here to begin with. You know nothing."

"A shinobi has duties."

"The welfare of the village comes first. Oh, I know about those things already."

"Then this talk is finished."

"You know how I felt when I saw that picture of you with that redhead woman. I felt confused and betrayed." Sarada's hands shook and she had to clutch the hem of her clothes to prevent it from shaking.

"That is utter nonsense."

Her eyes suddenly softened. "I doubted mom when all she ever did was to love me. She acted as my father and mother all those years while you were doing heaven knows what…"

"Enough."

"No! Because you never cared for us!" Sarada shot back. "You never cared for me. You never cared for mom..."

"I said," Sasuke banged his fist on the table with enough force that sent bowls and glasses crashing to the floor. "Enough."

He stood up and looked at her frostily. "Don't you ever…speak of things which you have no idea."

Sarada glared back at him unflinchingly before running back towards her room.

oOo

* * *

"Ah! Give me a break!" Naruto whined in annoyance as another stack of files were placed on his desk. He hated reading since his Academy days. He would have thought twice of becoming a Hokage if he knew that part of the duty was to read tons of rubbish memos. No wonder his late master Jiraiya never wanted the position.

Shikamaru snorted. "Oh come on, I read half of those. You are too lazy to read it. Besides, it's one of my duties to the Hokage: to read and advise. All you have to do is decide and sign your name."

From the corner of his office, he heard Sasuke let out a barely audible smirk.

"Hey! That's not true!" Naruto said defensively. "It's because I'm busy defending Konoha from the enemies."

"The war was over more than a decade ago and it was the Sixth Hokage who spent much time on rehabilitation. The Five Nation Alliance is still intact and we've only had minor threats from rogue ninjas ever since. Well, except for Uchiha Sasuke's mission of course, all is relatively at peace."

"Oh, shut up! You win!" Naruto raised his hands in surrender. I'm surrounded by prodigies of course, he thought. "Hey, Teme! What's funny?"

Naruto threw a mug of coffee towards Sasuke on which the latter caught perfectly without spilling a drop.

" _Baka,_ " muttered Sasuke.

"Mind if I take a break?" Shikamaru asked.

"Go on," urged Naruto. The genius would surely take a cigarette break.

"Why did you call me?," started Sasuke after Shikamaru left.

"Yeah, right. About that," Naruto interrupted. "I'm going to give you a short leave."

The Uchiha's brow merely raised imperceptibly in question.

"What makes you think I need one?" Sasuke asked. "The only one capable of tracking the enemy with Rinnegan is me."

"I think you need one." Naruto noticed that Sasuke was already prepared to resume his mission. It was just in time that he got to talk to him first.

Sasuke's eyes hardened. "Time is running out."

"I think the enemy would lie low for a while after what happened."

"You think I have time to relax when the enemy who killed my wife is on the loose?" His voice was laced with sarcasm with a dangerous edge to it.

"Sasuke, your daughter needs you," Naruto said as if stating the obvious.

At this statement, Sasuke turned his back to him and stared at the window of the Hokage's office for a moment before speaking again. "She hates me… and I deserve it."

"She's going through a rough time," Naruto knew that this must be hard for his friend. His wife gone and now his only child despised him. "She needs you more than anything right now especially that … Sakura-chan's gone."

Silence hung between them, thick and suffocating.

Until now, Naruto could not believe that she was gone. It seemed unreal. Surreal even. He felt like it didn't happen. It's as if he would still see her distinct bubblegum-pink hair around the village and they would chat about their childhood and the next generation.

Part of him was still wrecked with guilt that he was not able to save her.

 _They were too late to save her_ , he thought angrily with himself.

"You know full well that you could not stop me. Like I give a damn that you're the Hokage."

Bastard. "I'm talking to you not as a Hokage but as your friend."

"Listen, Sasuke," Naruto began before Sasuke could utter another word. "Sakura is not just my friend. She is a sister like you are a brother to me. I deeply cared for her. "

He remembered that night when they were supposed to give Sakura to the _nōkanshi_ , a mortician whose task was to clean and dressed up the deceased. He would never forget it.

 _They were led to a room in the lowest floor of the hospital. It was cold and the placed reeked not just of rotting smell and disinfectants but of sadness and despair. Sasuke sat on the chair holding Sakura's lifeless body against him when an old woman came and approached him._

 _"Not now," Sasuke said, knowing what the old woman wanted._

 _"But…"_

 _"Let them be," Naruto ordered the woman and they left the room. He sat just behind the door and gave Sasuke the time he thought he needed._

 _After what seemed like hours, the woman came again and together they entered the room. What he saw nearly broke his heart._

 _He was still holding her in the same exact position they left him._

 _"Not yet," he whispered, his hold on his wife's body tightening._

 _It's as if he was…pleading on the woman not to take her away._

 _Naruto stopped the woman and took the matter in his hands. Slowly, he approached his friend and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke, I know it's hard... but it's time."_

 _He could not read what's going on his mind nor see the expression on his face but after what seemed like an eternity, his raven-haired friend nodded and finally gave Sakura's body to the nokanshi._

 _He could never forget how Sasuke's hands shook that moment._

"Stay with Sarada for a little while. She already lost her mother. Not her father too." He noticed how his shoulders tensed at these words.

"I know it's difficult but you can't ease the pain by running away," Naruto finally said.

"You have no idea because everything turned out right for you," Sasuke snapped at him coldly and left his office, slamming the door so hard that it broke.

Naruto buried his face in hands.

 _I was right after all_ , contemplated Naruto sorrowfully. Sasuke wanted to resume his mission and leave Konoha again to hunt down the man with Rinnegan in order to exact revenge. Partly would be so that he could forget what happened.

He was not really surprised.

After all, Konoha just reminded him of so much tragedy.

oOo

* * *

 **Author's Note:** It's fucked-up, I know. Please bear with my grammatical errors, I'm trying my best. I admit sometimes I get confuse and tend to mix tenses.

I would highly appreciate your reviews.

Please share!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"Oi, Sarada!" Even from afar, she knew that voice all too well.

The rambunctious blonde, Uzumaki Boruto, stopped in front of Sarada, his blue eyes bright in excitement. "Wanna grab some lunch? There's a newly opened dango in the district. Some of our classmates were already there."

Well, it would still be too early to go home and she might as well hang-out with her friends, Sarada thought.

However, before she could utter a reply, they heard someone calling out Boruto's name. A male shinobi was coming after him, face red in anger. "Boruto! You idiot!"

Grinning wickedly, Boruto grabbed her wrist and started to run as if their lives depended on it.

"What the hell, Boruto?" Sarada exclaimed in confusion. Her classmate must have pulled another prank again.

Uzumaki Boruto is the eldest child of the current Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. He loves to play pranks on his father on which she doesn't understand why. Considering that the Hokage is a very busy man and has no time for silly pranks, she thinks it's very childish of Boruto to do such things. What Boruto benefits from such mischief is beyond her comprehension.

Stopping at a newly-built pub, Boruto and Sarada entered and immediately spotted some of their classmates in the corner. The area was bursting with customers and if not for Chocho's conspicuous figure, they would have had difficulty finding them. Chocho and Shikadai were already eating and paused to beckon them on their table.

"Try this, Sarada! It's heavenly!" Chouchou shoved a piece of dango on Sarada's mouth.

Boruto rubbed his palms in anticipation. "I heard you can order some booze too!"

"I'd like to see you try," commented Shikadai. A signboard across from them which clearly said "No alcohol for minors" was plastered.

"Darn…" Boruto puffed out dejectedly.

"Graduation Exams is coming!" Chouchou exclaimed excitedly. "If we pass then we're going to be genins not students anymore! We'll be taking REAL missions!"

"Such a pain in the ass," said Shikadai uninterestedly.

"Hmpf, I don't care about the exams!" Boruto crossed his arms.

"But you should!" Chouchou reminded him. "Anyways, I need to study and train with either _okaa-san_ or _oto-san_ to prepare for it."

"I don't like to study but Mom would surely scold me." Shikadai sighed. His mom can be real scary that sometimes even his father gets scared. "I just hope she visits Suna so I'll be alone at home to play video games."

They kept talking about the Graduation Exams and their parents to train them when they noticed that Sarada was unusually quiet and brooding. It was just then that they remembered that her mother recently passed away.

"Erm, I heard there is a new videogame…"

They tried to shift to another topic then another but after some time, the enthusiasm and humor seemed forced. Everyone had decided that it was time to go home afterwards.

Instead of going home, Sarada decided to head straight to the Training Grounds and practice some jutsus. Thankfully, it was already late in the afternoon and no one was around so she had the place all to herself.

Graduation Exams, it was all they could talk about, she thought to herself.

If they passed the exams, they would finally be given the respective forehead protectors on the graduation ceremony. The term "ninja" could be finally be applied to them albeit the lowest rank as "genins."

Then what?

What does it mean to be a ninja?

Is it all about missions or getting to be the strongest shinobi of all?

With her body aching, Sarada slumped to the grass and watched as the skies turned from orange to indigo. The cool grass felt good behind her back, soothing the ache from her arms and back.

She felt her eyelids closing when she heard soft footsteps and looked up to see none other than the Hokage himself.

"Hokage-sama…"

"Ahh, I'm tired." Naruto stretched himself and took a seat beside her. "Boruto should learn from you. That kid spends awfully much time in video games or playing pranks. Hinata is too gentle with him."

"Hokage-sama, why did you become a ninja?"

Surprised at her question, Naruto thought for a while before answering. "At first, I wanted to become a ninja so I could be a Hokage someday. I wanted to wear the hat and cape and see my face etched into those mountains."

Together they looked at the rocky mountain where the faces of the First until the Seventh Hokages were carved.

"For me being a Hokage meant being the strongest ninja but I was wrong." A sad smile made its way into the current Hokage's face as if remembering something bittersweet. "A Hokage means protecting your loved ones. In my case, it's the whole village of Konoha. Everyone is my family."

"Your father once said that he wanted to become a Hokage too," added Naruto as an afterthought.

"Really?!"

"It's a secret between us, okay?" Naruto winked at her. "He wanted to be a Hokage albeit for a different reason."

"Why does he want to be a Hokage?" Sarada asked curiously, her dark eyes magnified by her eyeglasses.

"It's _almost_ the same reason as mine although he planned a different method to achieve it." Naruto explained to the little girl. He's becoming loose-tongued again and if Sasuke learned that he told Sarada about this, he would surely kill him.

"While I protect Konoha as the Hokage, your father look after it from behind the scenes."

"Are you rationalizing his behavior and long years of absence?" Sarada asked pointedly. She knew they were friends and it was not surprising to her that the Hokage would say good things about his father. Just like her mom trying to spin lies to make a good image of her absentee father.

"Sasuke had to undertake a mission that only he is capable of in order to protect the stability of the village from an imminent threat. The last war had taken lots of lives. Children were orphaned, wives were widowed, and friends were lost…"

A heavy sighed escaped from Naruto and for a moment, he looked older than his age. Despite the smile on his face, his blue eyes were lonely.

"We don't want it to happen again." Naruto looked at her tenderly. "We wanted to give you a world where you would not constantly live in fear whether you'll wake up to another day."

Sarada turned away and started tracing patterns on the ground with her index finger. "It's just that… I felt like he never cared for us."

"Uhmm, how can I say this?" Naruto rubbed his chin absentmindedly. "I knew your father very well. We were friends, teammates and rivals. He had experienced tragedy and hardships at such a young age and it shaped him into who he is today. But I assure you, he cares for you. You are his daughter. His only child. How could he not?"

Naruto patted her hair. "You are a spitting image of your father but you have your mother's personality. Believe me, Sasuke cares for you in his own way."

oOo

* * *

oOo

Like the past few days, the house was quiet when Sarada arrived. Upon removing her shoes, she proceeded to the kitchen to look for something to eat. On her way, she saw Sasuke sitting by the patio overlooking the garden, sharpening his weapons. An array of kunais and shurikens were laid neatly on the wooden floor.

How he managed to do it with one arm, she had no idea.

Remembering the awful conversation they had a few nights ago, Sarada walked faster to the kitchen. She remembered what the Hokage told her a few hours ago.

 _Sasuke cares for you in his own way_.

If that's true, how come she didn't see or feel it even once?

Fortunately, she found some food prepared on the table and began eating. It was delicious. She never knew her father could cook.

Suddenly, a deep sense of nostalgia struck her. Memories began playing inside her head like an unedited film.

Her mother wearing an apron busily preparing dinner for the two of them...

On her seventh birthday while she was surrounded by all of her friends, she caught her mother smiling tearfully.

Then, she recalled a particular one when she got sick and found Sakura asleep on a chair beside her from taking care of her all day.

It has been weeks since her death and she thought that she could cope but she was very wrong.

oOo

* * *

oOo

It was plain as day to him that Sarada still hated him. Whenever he was around the house, she would try her best not to be in the same area with him as much as possible. It was as if he had a contagious disease with the way his daughter was evading him.

How long would they be like this? Naruto did not specify how long his indefinite leave would be.

Tension was still running high between them and it would be better to have some space between them.

The newly-sharpened Sword of Kusanagi gleamed against the moonlight and after admiring it for a few seconds; he placed it back inside the scabbard.

If only they had arrived earlier, they could have save Sakura…

Damn it, he thought angrily. He spent years away from Konoha for that mission of tracing the remnants of Kaguya and White Zetsu aside from news of another possible threat. He took the task upon himself because only he was capable with his Rinnegan. He was absolutely sure that the unknown enemy with the Rinnegan was the one he was investigating all these years. He just didn't think that it would make an alliance with Shin Uchiha.

Was it all for nothing?

In the end, he lost one of the people he deeply cherished.

Sakura.

He swore to himself that he would protect her. Yet, he failed in his promise.

Whether Naruto liked it or not, he would leave tonight and hunt the enemy. He would not rest until he kills the enemy with his own hands.

He was arranging back his weapons when he heard something from the kitchen.

Immediately, he went to the kitchen and there he saw Sarada sobbing uncontrollably in the corner. She was sitting on the floor with her knees propped up against her as if trying to protect herself.

Sasuke knelt in front of daughter at a loss on what to do. He never had any idea how to deal with women crying in general.

What more with children?

When Sarada was still an infant, Sakura would always be the one to pacify her. It's like an innate trait in women to be able to make children stop crying. He was not present when Sarada was growing up and to add salt to the wound, he had nearly killed her when he mistook her as an accomplice of the Shin Uchiha kid.

The last time he saw her was she she was still more than a year old and he had never imagined her to be wearing glasses. His mental picture of her would be long-haired and sweet like when Sakura was about her age.

Still, he knew that his reasoning was not enough.

Sarada was right. What kind of father was he for not recognizing his own child?

Inwardly, he sighed. What was done was done.

Tentatively, he reached his right hand on top of her head. Sarada flinched and he expected her to swap his hand away and shout at him.

Fortunately, she did not but she continued to cry.

Was she crying because she hated him so much?

"Sarada…"

Well, if that would be the case he would have no choice but to give her to Sakura's parents. Sarada was his flesh and blood, the last Uchiha aside from him but for her chance of a happier childhood, he would let her go.

Besides, he would never be a good father to her. Maybe he was not just capable of it. Maybe he could pay a visit once in a while or watch her from afar in the future.

"I'm sorry, Sarada."

She raised her tear-streaked face to him. "I-I miss her so much."

To his surprise, Sarada flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. Perhaps, she had forgotten their fight or simply she had forgiven him. Whatever the reasons he didn't care anymore because what matters to him at that moment was his daughter.

"Dad," she said in broken sobs. "I miss Mom so much…I wanted to see her again."

oOo

* * *

oOo

The place brought back memories both old and new. It was where he came to search for power in order to kill his brother, Itachi. It was where the seeds of darkness were cultivated as he chased his dreams of revenge.

He had seen morbid human experiments being performed and he didn't blink an eye because he never cared for their lives. As long as he was able to fulfill his goal, the means were nothing to him.

"Sasuke!" A full row of pointed teeth grinned at him. "What's up?"

Never one for small talks, Sasuke cut to the point. "Where is Orochimaru?"

"He's down in his laboratory. Karin! Sasuke's here!" Suigetsu called out, his voice ringing out loud and clear through the hallway.

"Don't shout!" Karin snapped at him. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Sasuke. "Sasuke, I didn't know you were here!"

Raising an eyebrow, Suigetsu remarked rather sarcastically. "You have chakra sensor, how come you didn't sense him?"

Blushing, Karin replied. "Sometimes, it doesn't work if-if the place is chakra-proof!"

"Whatever," shrugged Suigetsu.

"I want to talk to Orochimaru," said Sasuke to Karin.

Karin nodded and she led him to the basement where Orochimaru's main laboratory was located. The Snake Sannin's hideout comprised of several rooms and maze-like tunnels. An ordinary person would be easily lost inside or worst die in vain finding the exit.

When Sasuke was about to enter, Karin spoke up."Sasuke…"

Sasuke looked at her and waited for what she has to say.

"Sasuke." Biting her lower lip, Karin hesitated a bit before continuing. "I heard the news about Sakura. I just want to extend my sincerest condolence."

His features remaining impassive, Sasuke just nodded before closing the door.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Karin barked at Suigetsu.

"I was just thinking…" Suigetsu scratched his chin as if in deep thought. "Now that Sakura is dead, you could apply for the vacant position."

"Apply for the vacant position?! What? Do I have to pass a resume?" Karin sardonically asked in return.

Playing along, Suigetsu retorted. "Well, you should improve your credentials. After Sakura, Sasuke sure has high standards now."

He circled around her and inspected her from head to toe. Tugging on her red hair, he remarked teasingly. "You need to fix your hair. There's a thing called "hairbrush", you know?"

Irritated, Karin smacked his hand away. "Leave my hair alone."

"What do you think Sasuke wanted to talk about?" Suigetsu asked. Subsequently, he placed his ears on closed door.

"Stop eavesdropping!" Karin scolded him pulling his other ear away.

"Oh come on, you want to know it too," he said mockingly. "Stop pretending, Karin. We both know you still have a thing for Sasuke."

Opening her mouth as if to retort something back but unable to find so, Karin just closed her mouth and glared at him. If looks could kill, Suigetsu would be a puddle of water right now.

"Shh, I can hear them," Suigetsu said excitedly. "Mask your chakra."

Giving in, Karin strained her ears on the door too hoping to know why Sasuke wanted to talk to Orochimaru.

"It's surprising to see you again, Uchiha." They heard Orochimaru's trademark hiss-like voice.

"Hn." Definitely Uchiha Sasuke.

"Another thing," Suigetsu whispered with an evil grin as another idea came to him. "You're as skinny as a stick. Below zero sex appeal. How could you possibly get Sasuke to bed you?"

"Bastard!" Karin hissed and punched Suigetsu only for her knuckles to land in water.

Blushing fiercely, Karin's face was almost as the same color as her hair. "Fuck off, Suigetsu!"

"I'm just giving a friendly advice," said Suigetsu with an unbelievable hurt look on his face. "Now's your chance to hit on him."

Sniggering, Suigetsu knew that Karin was giving his words careful consideration. He had worked with her long enough that he was sure when she's serious about something.

"Hmmm…" Orochimaru paused. "If I do that, the Five Nation Alliance would surely come at me."

Karin and Suigetsu stopped bickering and looked at one another, questions running inside their minds. What did Sasuke asked from Orochimaru? And what kind of thing would it be for the Snake Sannin to hesitate?

"Are you afraid?" Sasuke taunted Orochimaru.

Orochimaru smirked. "I just don't want my experiments and research to stop for your own personal desires."

"Besides, I don't do things for free," added Orochimaru. "Everything comes at a price."

"I know," said Sasuke calmly.

Karin and Suigetsu strained their ears further. They heard their footsteps getting softer which meant they were walking away from the door.

"Agreed," said Orochimaru. It was the last thing they heard before voices faded away.

Out of the blue, Karin gasped and took a few steps away from the door. She was shaking from head to toe.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Suigetsu asked curiously. "Did you hear what they were talking about? Tell me!"

Karin shook her head. "I didn't hear everything but I think I know."

Shoulders slumped, it's as if all the energy were abruptly drained from her. "I think Sasuke was asking for Orochimaru to perform the Impure World Resurrection."

"What?! Why?! Does he want to attack Konoha again?!"

Karin shrugged her shoulders and if her guess was right…

A bitter smile formed on her lips at the thought.

 _Guess, she could never replace Sakura at all._

oOo

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Thank you for reading. I would highly appreciate reviews, criticisms, suggestions etc...


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I know it's been such a long time that it looked like I have abandoned this story. Thankfully, I have finished and passed my NCLEX (foreign exam for nurses).

Although I'm still a bit busy in the hospital, I can breathe more.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

oOo

* * *

Chapter 4

Call it intuition or whatever but he knows there's something wrong with his friend. Maybe it's because out of all people, he understands him the most.

"You want to keep tabs on Uchiha Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, his genius mind trying to search for possible clues to this peculiar request from the current Hokage.

"Yes, but make it discreet as much as possible."

"We are talking about Uchiha Sasuke here, ya' know." Shikamaru reminded him. Who the hell would they send to spy on the guy? The darn Uchiha have a fucking Sharingan and Rinnegan! He's absolutely sure no spy would get to him as close as a hundred meters without being roasted in black flames.

The only one who could fight Sasuke evenly is the one sitting in front of him. But he knows that the Nanadaime has already has too much work and responsibility especially with the upcoming Chuunin Exams. He barely has time for his family.

"I know," said Naruto. "It's just that something doesn't seem right about him nowadays."

"Sakura had just died. He is still in the mourning process." Although Shikamaru didn't know exactly the process of mourning for the said Uchiha. Because every time he saw him, his face was devoid of any emotion.

"Do you think he will leave the village again?" Shikamaru asked. If his hunch was true then what would happen to Sasuke's daughter, Sarada? Poor little girl. To lose her mother and now her absentee father would abandon her.

"Maybe…" Naruto trailed off. "But I don't think so."

"I'm not sure but I think something more serious than that. I just can't pinpoint exactly what it is but I know something is going on that he is purposely hiding from us," continued Naruto,

"Do you want to spy on Sarada too? Maybe we can get some information from the kid," Shikamaru suggested.

"No," replied Naruto. "The girl had too much already. I don't want to break her trust on us. On me as her uncle and I think she doesn't know anything either."

"Alright. I will try to gather our best spies for this but once the Uchiha gets a shot of this, he will flip out." Shikamaru exited the Hokage's office leaving Naruto more stressed out than ever.

oOo

* * *

It's been three days since Sarada last saw her father but he told her he would be coming back as soon as possible. When she asked if it's a special mission, he just looked at her and answered with a simple yes. Prior to that there were nights where she saw her father arriving late at night.

There was some shuffling of footsteps on the door and Sarada opened it to find her father looking exhausted.

Could the Hokage assigned her father another important mission just few weeks after the death of her mother? A mission that would last for years? She doubted the Hokage would do that since her mother just died and she's one of the Hokage's closest friends.

"Papa, how are you?" Sarada greeted him tentatively. Their relationship nowadays can be considered stable at the least. After her outburst, she was surprised to learn that her father acknowledged grief and didn't disregard her feelings just because she was a mere child.

He didn't answer her but just patted her hair. "Hn.."

"I just arrived from training. Sorry I was not able to cook I didn't expect you to be back so early." If her mother was still alive, no matter how busy she was in the hospital, she would have taken time to prepare for her father.

"It's okay. Let's just eat outside."

"Were you on an important mission?" She asked hesitantly.

It took him a few seconds to answer. "Ah."

"I see…"

Sarada knew not to inquire more since missions were supposed to be confidential. Considering his length of absence from her life, it must be very important.

More important than his family, she mused darkly.

Well, it's not as if she needed her father now. She survived without seeing him for more than a decade, he could leave for a mission again if he wanted to. Besides, her mother trained her to be independent if that's what's keeping him from leaving the village.

They went to a cozy restaurant located away from the main streets of Konoha. It was Sarada's first time to be in that place and she must admit that despite the simplicity of the place, it felt like home.

"Did you and Mama eat here before?"

His father's face fell for a split second before it returned to its previous impassioned state. "Yes. Why?"

Shrugging, Sarada took the menu and browsed. "Nothing, I remembered Mama saying one time of this place away from the main area that offers fresh catch. She said it was the best. But she never brought me here ever coz she's always busy in the hospital."

While waiting for their order, Sarada tried to fill the awkward silence by telling her father what and how she did at the Academy. Things she thought were pretty useless and boring to him but enough to fill the awkward silence.

"The Chuunin Exams would start in two weeks." She informed her father on which the latter just nodded. "I've been training with Boruto and Mitsuki and also Konohamaru-sensei."

"Academically, I think I won't be having any problems. I mean I've always been on top of my class but I think I need to prepare for the actual. They kept on saying that just because I have the Sharingan that I have the advantage but I don't think so…"

The waiter arrived to serve their food and Sarada felt her stomach rumble at succulent array in front of her.

"Itaedekamase!" She exclaimed and proceeded to pounce on her food.

A comfortable silence ensured between father and daughter as they ate their fills.

Sasuke watched his daughter discreetly as they ate, noting her voracious appetite for someone with that age and small body built. Just then, his peripheral vision caught something outside the window. He continued eating as if nothing happened but his senses were more alert now. Someone was watching him. Someone was watching over them.

In a flash, the person in front of Sarada vanished.

oOo

* * *

The blade of the Kusanagi gleamed against the pale throat of the former Root operative.

"Long time no see Uchiha-san," Sai said, a seemingly fake smile adorning his features. His ink creatures blended well against the shadows. It was one of his best weapons for counter-intelligence and reconnaissance missions. Yet, he was still discovered.

The Uchiha's right eye was red with Sharingan and the left eye was now visible with the Rinnegan. Others would have fallen on their knees on the sight but not the emotionless Sai. "Who sent you?"

"Classified."

This answer irked the Uchiha more. "If I found out that you've been working with the enemy, I would not hesitate to kill you."

He may be Naruto and Sakura's teammate when he left Konoha but he doesn't give a damn.

"I work with the Leaf Village's best interest at heart."

Sasuke placed the Kusanagi back on its scabbard. He knew that despite his journey of redemption, a lot of villagers were still wary about him. Does Naruto know about this? Or is Sai working alone outside Konoha's terms?

"Sarada is waiting for you." Sai reminded him.

"I don't care who you work for but tell them to stay out of my way."

oOo

* * *

Two weeks have passed and the Chuunin exams have finally begun. Delegates from different villages came to compete on an actual exam and be promoted to chuunins. This year, it was Konoha's turn to host the event and the village was bustling with activities to receive its visitors.

Sarada's team have successfully passed the two stages of the Chuunin exams and were now on the final leg which will see them on a one-on-one match against a stadium of crowd. Her first match was with Tarui, a genin from Kumogakure. With long, blonde hair and an indifferent look, Sarada can't simply read her opponent's plan.

"I need to win this for Mama," she thought to herself as the referee blew the whistle signaling the start of their match. Is her father even here to watch her fight? She highly doubted that he will find it interesting to watch a bunch of genins' competition.

The match ended quickly in her favor with her activated Sharingan and chakra-infused punch that sent her opponent flying on the wall. She was happy because a few more opponents and she would finally be a Chuunin.

"And the winner is Uchiha Sarada of the Hidden Leaf!"

She looked around the stadium and saw the Hokage and his wife waving on her. She smiled back at them. While Boruto's family are in full attendance, she has no one to cheer on her. If her mother was still alive, she would be on the bleachers, cheering at the top of her lungs. She had advanced to the finals and she would soon be facing one of her friends, she was sure.

She sat on the bleachers together with Mitsuki and the other genins and prepared to watch the next fight.

The large screen flashed and showed the next competitors.

Seventh match: Uzumaki Boruto versus Nara Shikadai.

There was a collective excitement form the crowd as the son of the current Hokage and his advisor, a genius in his own right.

"Seventh match: Begin!"

Boruto showcased his series of clones and attacked Shikadai, who in turn, used his shadow technique which was obviously taught to him by his father. However, all of his clones were caught by Shikadai and Boruto was left immobile.

"It would be great if you gave up soon," Shikadai smirked as he held out his kunai.

In turn, Boruto smirked and moved his right hand against the Shikadai's shadow technique. A number of miniscule scrolls fell from the sleeve of his arm and spontaneously exploded leaving the area filled with white smoke. Even Sarada can't help but smile at Boruto's determination.

A series of smoke bombs encircled Shikadai and revealed dozens of Boruto's clones after it dissipated. Surrounded with clones, Shikadai exhaled and raised his hands in surrender. "I give up."

"The winner is Uzumaki Boruto of the Hidden Leaf!"

"Amazing," Sarada clapped her hands. Her first match was easy and boring compared to Boruto and Shikadai's match. She saw her Uncle Naruto descend from the bleachers and walked towards Boruto. He must be very proud of his son.

"Dad! Did you see that?" Boruto exclaimed in excitement and threw his arm in the air that his father came to congratulate him. "Next up is the final round!"

But the Hokage caught Boruto's right arm and sleeve fell to show a metallic tool attached on his son's right arm. Activating her Sharingan, Sarada saw the Hokage's mouth formed words which were too low for the audience to hear.

"What's this about? This is prohibited in the exams."

Boruto looked away. "This is…"

Looking very disappointed and angry, Naruto lectured his son. "Using a ninja stool instead of your own chakra defeats the purpose of the Chuunin exam which to nurture new shinobi."

"Lee!" The Hokage turned to the green-clad referee. "Uzumaki Boruto is disqualified. Please change the winner to Shikadai Nara."

"Boruto, what have you done?" Sarada felt sad and angry for her friend. If he only trained harder, he won't need any use of such ninja tool. He has so much potential.

Boruto looked down in embarrassment as they announced his disqualification from the exams. Worse, the Hokage removed his forehead protector and beckoned him to get out of the arena. All of a sudden, he was shouting at his father.

"We'll talk later? Do you even have time for that, Dad?" Boruto stepped away and glared at his father. "If you had taught all of this to me before, I would have never ended up in this situation!"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by two scientists. One was holding a video recorder and the other was holding a microphone as if on a live report.

"Boruto wasn't able to win and we're very disappointed, Lord Seventh," the bespectacled scientist said with his accompanying cameraman. Then, he turned to the audience.

"Listen, everyone! Boruto used a Scientific Ninja Tool! It was prohibited here but there is no denying that this scientific ninja tool made it possible for him to reach this point. That is why-"

A large thing fell from the sky and landed on the arena. Immediately, the Hokage pushed Boruto behind. The mysterious man slammed the ground and caused the arena to crumble. People fell into chaos as debris and rocks started to fall. Sarada and Mitsuki tried to help and usher the civilian kids out of harm's way.

"This is the last child remaining." Mitsuki told her as he held a frightened girl.

"Take care of her," Sarada said and pointed to the east area of the stadium. "I will check over there." They might be more casualties out there and people need their help. She just walked a few steps to leave when a humongous block of rock fell on her.

"Sarada!" It was the last thing Sarada heard from Mitsuki as she closed her eyes for the inadvertent impact. She waited for the pain but after a few seconds, she found herself being held and carried away by her father.

"Papa?!" It was safe to say she was shocked at the appearance of her father. Where did he come from? Was he in the arena the whole time?

So many questions were running inside her mind.

"You don't look like you're hurt," Sasuke said as they dropped on the floor. A huge thing loomed in front of them. It was the enemy.

"It is payback to the last time," the enemy raised his arm preparing to crush them both.

She held into her father's neck and she felt his arm tightened reflexively on her. The enemy's arm halted against Shikamaru's shadow binding jutsu. They escaped and found themselves with the Hokage and Boruto.

"Boruto! Are you alright?" Sarada asked as she got off from her father. She would thank him later for saving her life.

"Yeah," Boruto answered. "What about you?"

"Who are those guys?" Sarada asked.

"I have no idea."

Aside from the monstrous guy who tried to crush them, there was another one smaller but looked nonetheless powerful. Both have pale skin and hair and horns protruding from their forehead. They have the same pale-colored eyes like Boruto's mother, Hyuuga Hinata. In comparison, the Hyuuga's eyes were gentle and the enemies' eyes were sinister like it could look straight into your soul.

"We can't use our powers here. We'll end up dragging everyone into this." Sasuke said to Naruto.

Naruto agreed with him. "It seems like I'm their target. I'll lure them." He turned to the enemies. "Who are you?"

I am Kinshiki Otsusuki," the smaller man said. "And this is Lord Momoshiki Otsusuki"

"What do you want from me?" Naruto asked.

'We want the Nine-tails. We will turn the scattered chakra into one fruit and finish what Kaguya failed to do in this seedbed."

"According to the scroll, it was recorded that these guys would come to steal the fruit of the chakra," Sasuke informed Naruto. "That's why Kaguya was amassing an army of white Zetsu."

"First, Kaguya and now this…"

"What do they plan on the fruit?"

"They are planning to make pills," Sasuke answered.

"Precisely," Kinshiki said. "As long as we have this, we are eternally young, immortal and invincible. You poor inconvenient humans. Unless you trained and persevere senselessly, you get nowhere. With his pill, instantly, with no effort and so easy I acquire this power!"

"Quit kidding around!" Naruto balked on him. "That's not true power."

"Vulgar creatures like you won't understand." Kinshiki looked at them in disdain.

"What will you do?" Momoshiki, the larger man asked his comrade.

"I didn't want to soil my garments but I shall do it anyway. I'll have to rearrange this seedbed and make it beautiful anyway." From his palm, a black orb appeared and started to grow bigger until it reached the size of the arena.

Sarada fell into her knees. Is this the end for all of them? For Konoha? "No…"

A clone of Boruto appeared on her right side and she smiled weakly at him return. If she will die, at least, she's with her father and friend. Too bad she was not able to make amends with her father.

Jets of fire attacked them but they were engulfed inside the chakra-infused fox-shaped head glowing in bright orange. The fire from the enemy bounced off and hit the stadium.

"Amazing…" Sarada thought as she looked around. She never knew the Hokage was this powerful. Sarada and Boruto merely looked at one another, amazed at each of their father's powers.

Then, Kinshiki started to attack them with various jutsus: lightning, water, fire.

"If the real you go down, it's all over…" Sasuke said as he stepped beside the Naruto and extended his hand. The chakra-infused fox head was now covered in a larger dragon-shaped purple armor and all Kinshiki's attacks skidded across it.

"Thanks, Sasuke."

"Uchiha and Uzumaki." Kinshiki smiled as he started to pummel them with bolts of lightning. "I will send you to meet your lady friend on the other world. Too bad, she was stubborn until her last breath."

Sarada saw her father and the Hokage stiffen. Her father was about to attack if not for the Hokage who halted him. Was the enemy referencing to her mother?

"He is taunting us," Naruto said in caution.

"I will kill him with my own hands." The Uchiha's wrath was visible with the dark aura emanating from him.

"We will kill him, Sasuke." Naruto said with conviction.

Naruto made more clones and Sasuke strengthened the armor around the fox-shaped chakra protecting them. However, Kinshiki's continuous powerful attacks started to make cracks on the armor until it started peeling away.

Then, the massive orb started to descend on them. The Hokage lowered his hand and said something to Sasuke before looking at her and Boruto. After a few seconds, Sasuke gave him a nod. Then, Sasuke changed his position and moved in front of her and Boruto while the Hokage remained in front.

"Kurama, you'd better be not out of shape!" The Hokage glowed brighter as a fox emerged out of him and held the orb.

"Dad!" She heard Boruto's cry and everything became blindingly white.

oOo

* * *

When Sarada woke up, she was in a hospital and saw her Aunt Ino beside her. She felt weak and thirsty. She tried to speak but her voice came out hoarsely. "What happened?"

"I'm glad you're safe, Sarada." Ino exclaimed as she helped her late best friend's only child to a glass of water. "You should rest some more."

Looking around her, Sarada found herself in one of the pediatric rooms of Konoha hospital. A few feet from her was Boruto looking straight on the ceiling with an expression she can't discern. Anger? Sadness? Guilt? Beside him, Hinata and Himawari were carefully peeling apples and beckoning him to eat.

"Where is Papa?" She asked fearfully. Her last memory was a blinding flash of white as the Hokage sacrificed himself. Did her Papa die too?

"He's in a meeting together with the other Kages. He believes that Naruto is still alive. They are planning to rescue him. He is the only one capable of going to another dimension."

"Ah, I see." Relief flooded through Sarada. No matter what happens, Sasuke is her father. At the same time, a small tinge of sadness seeped into her. Did her father know that she was confined in the hospital?

Sensing her unspoken question, Ino answered. "Your father stayed beside you all night. He just left this morning to join the plan for the retrieval of the Hokage."

"Really?" She asked disbelievingly. Based on her father's personality, he was the type who would prioritize missions above anything else.

Her Aunt Ino nodded. "Of course, darling. You are very precious to him."

oOo

* * *

That afternoon, she learned that the Lord Kages from the neighboring villages along with her father would be on a mission to save the Hokage. It seemed that it was only her father who has the ability to go to another dimension where the Hokage was currently held captive.

"I will be going with them," Boruto said firmly. He was wearing a battered orange jacket. "I'm going to save my father."

For the first time, she agreed with him. "I want to go too. They killed my mother."

Boruto squeezed her shoulder and together they went to Hokage Tower where the preparations have begun. He talked to his mother and surprisingly, she allowed him to go with the mission.

"I want to go too!" Sarada said with conviction. She knew that only high level ninjas are capable to fighting the enemy but if they allowed Boruto, why can't she go too? Her father would be there to protect her just in case.

Her father turned and looked at her. "No, Sarada."

"Boruto could go! Why can't I?!" She was fuming. It's unfair! How come Boruto gets to save his father while she can't avenge her mother's death?

Sasuke walked towards her and stooped at eye level. "I'm sorry, Sarada but you can't."

"Tell me why?!" Sarada glared at him. Tears started to pool on her eyes and she looked away. She didn't want her father to see her like this. "They killed Mama…"

It took a few seconds for her father to respond. "Yes… That's why I can't lose you too."

Something warm erupted inside her at his words. Now she understands her Aunt Ino's words to her at the hospital.

" _You are very precious to him."_

She focused her eyes on the floor and asked softly, "Will you come back?"

To her surprise, Sasuke poked her forehead. "I will, Sarada. I promise."

oOo

* * *

Author's Note: I know its way been too long. I had a writer's block due to the long months of not writing.

I've watched the last episode of Naruto Shippuuden and like everyone else, I have mixed feelings of happiness and sadness. I grew up watching Naruto and to see it end felt like closing a chapter of my childhood. I felt pity for Sakura because she was the only single lady out there but Chouji too (it seemed like he didn't meet Karui yet?). I hope they show a glimpse of Sasuke and Sakura's travel together because that's where they rekindled, got married and had Sarada so fans like us have some inkling of their connection.

Anyways, forgive me for the grammatical errors, I'm trying to proofread it. I want to look for a beta-reader but I doubt they will proofread it because it's still not finished.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Fortunately, I had a lot of time off these days and I was able to write the succeeding chapters.

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Days have passed after the Otsutsuki brothers' attack and the residents of Konohagakure were working hard to repair the damages wrought upon by the enemies. Because of the amount of time and money to be spent on rebuilding the ruined stadium and the nearby areas, it was agreed upon by the Five Kages that the Chuunin Exams would be re-scheduled on the following year on Sunagakure.

It has been more than a decade since the Fourth Shinobi World War and for the villagers to experience again a catastrophic event brought back long-buried memories of the death of their loved ones. Yet, they knew that they must move on and rise again for the sake of the future generation.

"I'm so fuckin' tired." Naruto slumped on the chair on his leather chair and closed his aching eyes for a moment. After the defeat of the Otsutsuki brothers, he only had a full day to recuperate and he started resuming his duties again.

There was so much to be done. He had been attending meetings left and right. Not to add the countless documents which must be reviewed and signed or rejected. But such were the responsibilities that comes with the title of being a Hokage. It's not just a prestigious position but a lifelong commitment to one's village.

With the way things were going, he just didn't have enough time for his family. If not for his wife, his children especially Boruto would have gone into all sorts of trouble. Fortunately, after the Otsutsuki assault Boruto have a matured a little.

Boruto still despised the fact that he doesn't have enough time for his family but instead of sulking and creating trouble, he was helping the village together with other kids in their own little ways.

Another thought crossed his mind. Something which had been bugging him for a quite some time.

Uchiha Sasuke has been behaving oddly for the past few days. He barely had enough time for his family and he couldn't also reach his best friend to have some serious talk. The last moments of their encounter with Otsutsuki really bothered him.

After Boruto sent a fatal Rasengan, the Otsutsuki was a good as dead. But Sasuke stepped forward and stabbed him in the eye. Not just once but not for him and Boruto, Sasuke would have just continued stabbing the enemy. He understood and felt that it was out of anger and revenge for the death of Sakura. Yet, he felt like Sasuke was falling back to a cocoon of hatred and guilt.

This change in demeanor brought uneasiness among the other Kages who have witnessed the scene. They started questioning Naruto about Uchiha Sasuke's sanity and loyalty, creating the possibility of a political turmoil within the alliance. Naruto tried his best to explain to them that Uchiha Sasuke was still on a grieving process after the death of his wife.

A soft knock on the door made him open his eyes. Like him, Nara Shikamaru had been spending a lot overtimes too since the assault on the village.

A scroll was tossed in from of him. "I received it a while ago in my desk."

Opening the scroll, Naruto hastily read the contents and frowned at Shikamaru. As his trusted advisor, Shikamaru reads and reviews most of the documents and letters before it comes to Naruto.

"I don't know either why," Shikamaru shrugged. "It's up to you to meet up."

Naruto stood up abruptly. "I think this will answer some of the questions I've been looking for."

* * *

Located in the edge of the Fire Country, an unexplored cave glowed eerily against the darkness of the forest. The mouth of the cavern was partially covered with thick shrubs and foliage. A genjutsu was added to make it seem it like it was not visible from the civilians and unskilled shinobis.

Nevertheless, it was the perfect location for the ceremony. Not a village can be seen from a hundred miles and there would be no witness except the occasional nocturnal animals peeking curiously every now and then.

"It's ready."

"Hn."

"I trust you will keep our agreement."

"Once it is fulfilled."

Yellow snake-like eyes narrowed and stared against impassive mismatched eyes of Uchiha Sasuke as it tried to look for signs of deception. As usual, the Uchiha's expression was devoid of emotion.

"Follow me then." Orochimaru walked ahead with Sasuke following. The walls were lined with torches burning brightly as they got deeper.

"Pardon my curiosity…" The Snake sannin hissed in interest. "What are your plans after this?"

"It is none of your concern," Sasuke answered.

Even though Sasuke was pardoned many years ago and went on a journey of redemption, Orochimaru highly doubted that any village would accept him and his unusual "companions" after their deal.

"I have lots of bases on different villages. You could choose one and stay there if you like," Orochimaru offered but got no reply.

"We are here." Orochimaru gestured to not just one but four coffins laid neatly side by side against the cave walls.

Slowly, the coffin doors opened and revealed the bodies of Uchiha Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi and Sakura. Unmoving, their eyes were still closed waiting for the seal to release them. Sakura's pink hair stood out against the black hair of the other Uchihas. From the periphery of his vision, the Snake sannin could have sworn he saw the Uchiha's expression changed from impassive to sadness and longing.

Orochimaru silently cackled. Uchiha Sasuke was one of the most powerful shinobis in the world but in front of images of his late parents, brother and wife, he just looked like a lost, little boy. "Shall we proceed?"

Sasuke gave him a nod. A few hand seals and they would finally come to life.

Halfway around the completion of hand seals, Orochimaru was thrown against the walls. The Snake sannin got up and gleefully commented. "I didn't know we have a guest."

From the shadows, Naruto appeared looking furious. "This is treason against Konoha, Orochimaru. You should have known better than to use this jutsu again!"

Orochimaru raised his hands in defense. "This is not an act of treason against the Leaf village. I am simply granting a personal request from a former student."

Naruto was horrified when he saw not just one but four coffins and the re-incarnated people inside each of it. If he was a few seconds late, the summoning would have been complete. He turned angrily to Sasuke, "Stop this madness!"

"Stay out of this, Naruto." Irritation was evident on the Sasuke's features. "I should have known you would meddle again."

Closing his eyes as if in pain, Naruto spoke out. "'I don't want to fight you."

"Yet, I will not hesitate to fight you." Sasuke removed his cloak and tossed it aside. Unsheathing the Kusanagi from its scabbard, he pointed it directly at the blonde. "Or kill you."

"Sasukeee…" Orochimaru hissed. "Just tell me if you want to do the summoning now."

"Later when I finish this mess."

"And what would you pay in exchange for it?" Naruto demanded to Orochimaru and Sasuke.

"I'm afraid that matter is between us, Lord Hokage." Orochimaru smiled creepily. He just wanted to finish the summoning so he can get what he bargained for. But seeing the Uzumaki had interrupted their plans, he knew that there would be a battle between the two most powerful shinobis in the world.

Something that he wouldn't miss in a lifetime.

"Sasuke, look… I don't want to-" Naruto was not able to finish his sentence as Sasuke started to attack. He jumped as the Uchiha aimed and swiped the sword at his abdomen. He evaded the assault but it torn the hem of his cloak. "Damn it, I'm a bit rusty."

If it was an ordinary day, Naruto would think that they were just having a friendly sparring match like when they were genin and would always try to beat one another. However, from the look on the Uchiha's eyes, it seemed that if it comes down to it, he might kill him for sure.

Producing a dozen clones, Naruto used it to provide a temporary distraction while creating a Rasengan. He threw the highly-concentrated ball of air just when his clones where already half a dozen.

Sasuke found an opening to kick Naruto in the stomach and which the latter used to throw a punch on his face.

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed in triumph even though he was hit too.

Their match continued and when before it was taijutsu, it progressed to using their respective elemental ninjutsus.

"You've been always poking your nose on other people's business..."

"I think you know why I do that," answered Naruto as he escaped a humongous ball of fire.

"Why? Because you are the fucking Hokage?" Sasuke sneered disdainfully at the title.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the insult on his hard-earned title but tried his best to keep his cool. Unlike when they were younger where they would never stop hurling insults at one another, the blonde jinchuuriki decided it's best if he would not let himself be affected by the Uchiha's slur. "No, because I care about the people around me. I care about you and Sakura-chan."

Sasuke snorted at this. "You think I'm going to attack the village."

"No!" Naruto countered back. He can't let Sasuke think or feel that he distrusted him. He was only one of the few remaining persons in the world who believed in the goodness inside the Uchiha, albeit hidden. "You wouldn't attack Konoha. The village Itachi sworn to protect and Sakura died for."

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say. Bringing up both Itachi and Sakura caused Sasuke to flinch involuntarily. The Uchiha stopped and closed his eyes briefly and Naruto felt the temperature inside the cave to drop further.

The calm before the storm, they used to say.

When Sasuke opened his eyes again, the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan was fully activated and together with the Rinnegan on his left eye, the mismatched eyes stared back at him in cold fury.

"Which are you going to give in exchange for their resurrection?" Naruto asked in anger as he realized something the possible payment for Orochimaru's forbidden jutsu. He had always known that the Snake Sannin craved the Sharingan and for Sasuke to hand it over voluntarily was something he can't stomach. He activated his Sage mode now. "Your Sharingan or Rinnegan?

"Amaterasu!" Sasuke cried out as he lashed out a straight column on black flames on Naruto.

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed inwardly. He needed to stop Sasuke before their fight escalates out of control. He cloaked himself with the nine-tailed beast's massive chakra and skirted away but he knew that with the Sharingan, he could not escape Sasuke's wrath.

"Sasuke …" Naruto called out to him, trying to shake man from his depths of hatred and fury. "I love Sakura too. She's like a sister I never had. She wouldn't want you to do this. I know it's hard but we are here to help you and I understand how you feel!"

"No, you don't." Sasuke hissed lowly through clenched teeth as his Kusanagi clashed with Naruto's kunais. "Because everything turned out perfectly for you."

 _Oh, he didn't know Sasuke felt like that_ , Naruto thought sadly. Hatred and jealousy was brewing inside Sasuke at the thought of losing everything while his best friend was on top of the world with everyone who loved and respected him, a fulfilled dream and a family to come home.

Hatred for his late brother and jealousy that he was not strong enough were the very emotions that caused Sasuke to defect from the village more than a decade ago. It was consuming him again and if Naruto didn't play his cards right, he might very well lose his friend to the darkness again.

This time for good.

"Do you think Sakura would want to be like this?" Naruto gestured to the unmoving corpse. "Being alive and living is different from merely existing! No matter what you do or think, she will not be the same Sakura before!"

"Fuck off!" In a blink of an eye, Sasuke was gone and the next moment he was behind Naruto. "I think you've become rusty from sitting on your office for too long."

Surprisingly calm, Naruto looked at the Chidori spear impaling his stomach. "You would cause Sakura great pain even in the afterlife?"

"You bastard!"

"Lord Hokage! Papa!"

Uchiha Sasuke froze at the voice. He would recognize that voice anywhere. Unbelieving his own ears, he turned and confirmed with his very own eyes the presence of his own daughter, Sarada.

"What's going on? Papa why did you stab Nanadaime?! I thought he was your friend!" Sarada cried in horror. "And is that Mama over there?!"

"How dare you bring her here?!" Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto would stoop so low as to use his own daughter against him.

Flanked between Shikamaru and Karin, the young Uchiha looked on the verge of tears. Confusion and fear were written across her face as she looked at the scene before her. Karin looked half-guilty and half-scared as she tried to hide on the shadows while Shikamaru looked furious.

Sasuke was livid as he glared at Karin. Everything that he had planned for the past months have all gone to waste just because of the red-haired blabbermouth.

It might be unfair but Naruto knew that the only way to shake Sasuke from his insanity was to get his daughter. He knew that Sasuke would never kill him in front of Sarada.

"How do you think Sakura would feel if her daughter sees her like a living dead?" Naruto whispered, a trickle of blood coming from his mouth. Thanks to the nine-tails inside him, his injuries were starting to heal.

Incapacitated for a moment, Naruto smiled at Sarada. "Don't worry, Sarada! Your daddy and I are just having some serious argument. Nothing to worry about."

To Sasuke's astonishment, he felt a pair of small arms circling around his waist. It took him a split second to realize who it was. Unexpectedly, the act brought back a bittersweet memory of him and Sakura inside the Forest of Death during the Chuunin exams upon encountering Sound ninjas.

"Papa, please stop." Sarada hugged him tighter. "Let's go home."

In that moment, Sasuke knew it was all over.

* * *

Author's Note: The next chapter is almost finished. I just need to review it and I would be uploading it next week. I'm thinking if it would be the last chapter or have a separate epilogue.

Thank you for reading! Pardon the errors, English is my second language. I'm trying to edit it as much as I can.

I would greatly appreciate your reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: This is the last chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

The wooden floorboard creaked under Sasuke's weight, the only sound amidst the deafening silence. But he paid no heed and continued walking inside the place he tried to forget. A place which housed bittersweet memories.

It has been a long time since he visited the Uchiha district much less stepped inside his childhood home. All of the abandoned houses were covered with dust and were inhabited by rodents and occasional cats. Because of its tragic history and its current state of neglect, the Uchiha district had become a ghost town. There were times when he caught some kids playing and daring their friends to go explore the Uchiha grounds as if the place was some kind of horror house in a carnival.

The main house where his family used to live has four rooms. One for his parents, one each for Itachi and Sasuke and the remaining served as his father's private office. He had been to his father's office once or twice as best as he could remember because it was always Itachi who was being summoned.

Sasuke slid open the _shoji_ door leading to the dining area and nearly stumbled in his feet at what he saw.

Around the dining table were his father, mother, Itachi and a younger version of his self. They looked happy as they shared dinner and talked about each other's day.

Sasuke stopped and touched his mother's shoulder but his hand only passed through her. He tried again but nothing happened. As he watched the scene before him, he felt happy to see his family yet tormented at the same time as he cannot touch nor talk to them.

All he could do was to watch with longing as his family interacted with one another. His beautiful mother was mostly the one talking and trying to engage everyone in the conversation. Meanwhile, his father remained content listening to the lively chatter around him, answering questions or interjecting opinion every now and then. A tiny smile formed on the corner of his lips every once in a while.

His younger self-listened attentively as Itachi calmly narrated his day at the Anbu headquarters. From his vantage point, Sasuke could clearly see the adoration and love shining in his younger self-directed towards his older brother. However, his younger self clearly wanted some attention too as he talked enthusiastically about his first days at the Ninja Academy.

These were the days where everyone was happy and contented with the life. The scene played before him repeatedly as if granting his desire to freeze the moment.

He didn't know how long he stayed watching the scene before him but he found himself standing and continuing to the next room.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor with a book propped on his lap and a piping mug of tea beside him, Itachi looked as serene as Sasuke could ever remember. His older brother was wearing his old Uchiha clothes and even though the lines on his face were prominent like the last time Sasuke saw him in battle, he felt that the Itachi sitting in front of him was definitely at peace.

"Nii-san?"

Sasuke wondered maybe had Itachi lived his brother would never remain as an Anbu. Perhaps Itachi would be an instructor.

Or a Hokage.

Itachi sacrificed everything and didn't ask anything in return. The best Hokage the village never had, Sasuke thought with pride and sadness.

Like the previous scene before him, Itachi's figure stayed glued to his position and didn't make any move that indicated he heard him.

Unperturbed, Sasuke continued to speak pretending that his brother can hear him. "Nii-san, I tried to change. I swear I tried… but it seems like this is my fate."

He hung his head in shame and looked at his hands as he remembered the blood it shed and the lives it had taken away. His journey of redemption was not enough to atone for his sins and it would never be enough even if he spent a lifetime on it.

Itachi cocked his head a little on the side and encircled something on the book he was reading.

Curious, Sasuke leaned and read the lines that piqued his brother's interest.

 _The past may be dark and murky but the future is spotless, a blank canvas to start anew._

"Thank you, nii-san." Sasuke stood up and felt his feet taking him to the next room. But before he could close the door, he swore he heard his brother's voice.

 _Be strong, Sasuke. I'm always here for you._

But when he looked again, his beloved brother was gone.

* * *

The next room he went to looked different but felt familiar to him. It was definitely not the old Uchiha residence for the furniture and decoration were a bit modern. He investigated some more and found a framed picture of Team 7 back when they were still genins.

Then, it struck him that he was inside the first house he shared with Sakura when they came back from Konoha. His heart started to beat erratically against his chest as he turned around.

And there was his wife.

He felt his heart stopped beating momentarily as he saw her sitting on the open balcony with her bare feet touching the grass. She was looking at the moon, her green eyes illuminated by the moonlight making it brighter than ever.

Sasuke felt his heart constrict inside him, squeezing itself with longing until it's going to burst. Slowly, he walked towards her knowing that like the previous scenes before him he would not be able to touch or talk to her.

At least, he saw her again. And he was already thoroughly grateful with that thought.

At that moment, as if hearing his thought Sakura turned around and looked into him. Their eyes met and held into one another for a second or two. Green met his mismatched black and purple eyes.

And she smiled at him.

"Sasuke-kun, I missed you."

Blinking rapidly, Sasuke remained still as a statue and looked at her in astonishment as if he cannot comprehend or believe what just happened.

Her unique hair color shone brightly against the moonbeam making her glow against the darkness and her bright, green eyes gleamed like polished emeralds. She extended her hand to him, beckoning him to come closer and like a beacon of light in a dark tunnel, Sasuke followed her.

"Sakura," Sasuke whispered as he sat in front of her, staring intently and drinking in her features. He traced her face with his fingertips from the purple mark on her forehead, down to her nose then to her lips. "It's you."

"It's me, _anata_ ," Sakura answered using her term of endearment that sent a pang of yearning inside him.

He missed her so much that it's killing him.

Unable to control himself any longer, he pulled and placed his lips on her. He held the back of her head as he kissed her fervently. All the pent-up emotions inside him pouring out like a lava. He felt her hands encircle his neck as she caressed his hair tenderly.

When they finally pulled away from one another, Sasuke brought their foreheads against each other and asked in a broken voice. "Why, Sakura? Why do you have to leave me too?"

"You know I would never want to leave you and Sarada," Sakura replied sadly. She cupped his face lovingly, brushing the bangs that covered his left eye so that she can fully see him. She rubbed his face with her thumb and Sasuke let out a sigh as he leaned involuntarily against her touch that he missed so much. "I would sacrifice my life for you and Sarada. For Konoha."

It was the truth. Sakura was a selfless person to the point that he sometimes thought she was blind and stupid to love someone like him. He would never deserve her but he was thankful that someone like her loved him from who he is.

"I'm just so tired," Sasuke confessed, looking away. Tired of people always leaving him. "I don't want to live anymore."

"If only I can take away your pain, I would," murmured Sakura softly. She brought his face back to hers. "There's so much ahead of you, Sasuke-kun. You are capable of good and great things."

This time, it was her who kissed him gently, trying to ease the pain. Sasuke held on to her as she kissed his eyelids, his nose and back to his mouth.

Then, as if breaking the spell, he felt something crack upon his hold. To his horror, he found that the Sakura's arm where he was holding had begun to crack like a porcelain vase. "What's happening-"

"Oh," Sakura looked at her cracked left arm like she remembered something. The pieces of her skin started falling. "I think it's time for me to go, Sasuke-kun."

"No!" Sasuke spoke vehemently. He embraced her refusing to let her go even if he can feel her body disintegrating right before him. Now that he has her in his arms, he would never let her slip away from him.

"Take me with you." A pang of guilt struck him at what he said as he remembered Sarada and pictured her alone with no one to guide her. He doesn't want his daughter to experience being an orphan like him or Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun." Sadness and love were evident on Sakura's eyes as she pulled away from him. Flakes of her skin started to peel away and her vibrant, soft hair began to dry and fall in clumps.

Yet, she was beautiful.

"I love you." Deep regret filled Sasuke as he realized that he had never been able to tell her these words when she was still alive. Three simple words. It's not that difficult, he realized with sorrow and guilt.

A smile formed on Sakura's face making her more radiant than ever. "Thank you for loving me."

"I love you more than you'll ever know," Sakura added as tears started to fall from her eyes. "Take care of our Sarada, okay?"

And that was her last words and he watched with anguish as her form crumbled before his eyes.

* * *

Sasuke woke up with his chest heaving and heart beating erratically. He had to grab the nearest thing he could hold onto and tried to regulate his heart rate and breathing.

It was just a dream, he realized.

Would it be better if he had not woken up?

To live in a dream world where there's no pain or suffering. That was the goal of Madara's Infinite Tsukoyomi and somehow, he understood his ancestor. How wonderful would it be to live in a world where everyone can be ignorant yet blissful?

"Papa?" Sarada's face peeked out from the door of his room. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, it's just a dream."

Sarada hesitantly entered his room and handed him a glass of water on which Sasuke drank gratefully. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Sasuke poked Sarada's forehead. "No, it's a beautiful dream."

* * *

A simple bouquet of flowers and some incense were laid upon a grave with a written inscription.

 _Mother, wife, friend, and kunoichi._

Sasuke knelt down and dusted away some of the dirt on which Sarada followed suit. After some time, the two left the Uchiha cemetery and was headed back home when Sasuke spoke.

"Do you have any plans for today, Sarada?"

Sarada shrugged. "Maybe just go practice some shuriken training."

"Do you want to learn a new jutsu?" Sasuke asked and he saw Sarada's dark orbs much like his own widen in surprise and excitement.

"Yes, of course!"

They went to open area in front of a lake where Sasuke was first taught with the same jutsu by his father. Having an excellent chakra control which she got from Sakura, it took Sarada only a few tries to master the fireball jutsu.

"How was that?" Sarada asked, smoke coming out from her mouth and nose after producing a large fireball jutsu.

"Good."

"Good?" Sarada snorted at his reply. "I can do better than that."

After making the corresponding hand signs, Sarada created a somewhat impressive fireball jutsu and cocked her head to him.

A smirk formed on Sasuke's lips. "Better."

"Hmph," Sarada pouted but smiled anyway at him.

"That's enough for today." Sasuke inclined his head towards the direction of their home and started walking. Sarada nodded and followed after him.

Just before they left, he felt a cool breeze surround him which Sarada didn't seem to notice. To his wonder, something cold touched his lips.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Sasuke savored the feeling and directed his eyes towards the sky.

 _I will keep my promise, Sakura._

 _Till we meet again._

* * *

Notes: I know it's very sad but it's really how I imagined it to be. To be honest, I imagined or dreamt (I forgot, really) this scene during the height of Naruto Shipuuden. It's just that I was not sure that they will end up together in the series that I kept the story to the sidelines.

I made Sasuke's dream sequence in time of their deaths with Sakura as the last person because she was the last who died and they didn't have closure or something like that.

Anyways, I apologize for the grammatical errors I tried my best to edit it.

Thank you for reading and I appreciate your reviews.


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